News from South America

The following are excerpts from. a prayer letter which is sent out regularly by Sarah Craft.

PRAYING ‘ROUND THE SAM REGION

February, 2007

Church Planting Movements among all peoples; the gospel to every person; every believer a full participant in the Great Commission.

MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY

Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay, has approximately 1.5 million people, with only 2% of the population evangelized. There is a European flavor to the lifestyle, educational system, worldview and architectural designs in Montevideo. The great need for Christ in Montevideo is very evident since the majority of the 500,000 spiritists in Uruguay live in Montevideo. The Uruguayan Urban Team is focused on reaching the coastal areas of Montevideo, with less than one half of one percent of the people evangelized. They are using the Gospel Advancement Project (GAP) which mobilizes volunteers to do prayer walks and Scripture distribution that helps to make contacts for new simple churches. The team asks prayer for the Sheaffers who work with the GAP ministry, and all the volunteers who will be working there. Pray for the selection, training and implementation for national strategy coordinators, especially among the professional classes. Pray that in 2007 2nd and 3rd generation simple churches/ cell groups will begin to multiply with Uruguayan initiative. Also pray that new believers will be willing to open their homes for churches or cell groups.

VENEZUELA: TeamOriente shares that in eastern Venezuela God has raised up an exceptional servant, D. Although there are no other believers in her family, D remains faithfully obedient to the Lord and to His call. She is dedicated, focused, efficient, and caring. A year ago she was named minister of missions by her church; in this capacity she has the opportunity to direct the church planting efforts of the church. Currently five new congregations are in formation. D is an encourager to the workers, makes sure they receive the training and resources which they need, and is careful to maintain doctrine and principles in new starts. Although not in the best of health, and often paying for travel herself, she spends much time in outlying towns and communities where new churches are being planted. She encourages believers to participate in a diversity of mission’s opportunities. D needs our prayers as she fulfills God's call on her life. She needs wisdom, as well as emotional spiritual and physical strength, to be what God wants her to be and to accomplish the huge task that God has laid out before her. Pray also that God raise up strong leadership in the new church starts, people who genuinely love Him and are prepared to serve in the midst of difficulties and sacrifice.

BRAZIL: (Rural Brazilians of Central & SE Brazil)Please pray for Monty and Janis Thompson as they do multiplication and evangelistic outreach training at Betel Baptist Church in Pouso Alegre and First Baptist Church in Santa Rita do Sapucaí. These two churches have agreed to start a work in Cachoeira de Minas, a city of about 15,000 lying 20 miles from the Betel church and 15 miles from the Santa Rita church. We will also be bringing in a volunteer team from Valley Baptist Church in Searcy, Arkansas in July to partner in this outreach project in Cachoeira de Minas.

ECUADOR: Chinese Team in Ecuador: Praise God that Siu-Mui Chang can find her tranquility on the balcony of her apartment regardless of the chaotic traffic in her neighborhood or her hectic routine. She can just watch the birds gliding in the water, hear them chattering in the trees and watch the iguana creeping on the pebbles. She gives praise for the ministry of this year. There are 12 new believers that have accepted Christ and 11 of them were baptized. Pray that their faith will grow strong by drilling deep into the Word. Pray for new strength and wisdom for the coming year to complete the task that God lays upon her.

BOLIVIA: SOUTH BOLIVIAN QUECHUA (KETCH-yoo-wah). Pray for missionaries among the highland Quechua, Floyd and Sylvia Wingo, as they continue to seek for “men and women of peace” (Luke 10:6)--those Quechua men and women with hearts that God has prepared to come to salvation and to carry on His work among their people. Pray for language acquisition and cultural understanding for the Wingos. Satan continues to have many strongholds physically and spiritually in this highland region. Often the Wingos encounter someone who appears to be willing to learn and then to teach, interferences arise to keep that person from actively pursuing their training with the Wingos. Pray for them to find dedicated Quechua men and women who will be able to have the time for the discipling and training needed to carry on the work.